Holland by Bike and Boat, Northern Tour

Holland Bike & Boat Northern Tour

Nowhere else in the world will you find an area as fascinating to explore as the Dutch Provinces of North Holland and Friesland, two areas rich in tradition, full of romantic fishing and harbor villages, picturesque lakes and expansive North Sea vistas. Over the course of your week onboard your floating hotel, the ship DE Willemstad, you will be able to discover typical Dutch culture in picturesque harbor towns and small villages while you cycle through a flat "polder land," extensively reclaimed over the centuries from the North Sea.

What you will soon realize is the truth behind the proverb "God created the earth but the Dutch made Holland," such has been the extent of land reclamation in the region you will be cycling through. Since the 17th century in an effort to save disappearing land from encroaching water, protective dikes have been built, low-lying land has been pumped dry and tidal dams have been created in creeks to prevent flooding, with the result that today’s green flat polder landscape is full of agricultural enterprise.

Given the Dutch love of cycling, the region is crisscrossed with many quiet cycle tracks that stretch from one end of the region to the other. You will be amazed by the beauty of the North Sea beaches, the towering sand dunes – who said there were no hills in Holland! – the extremely bike-friendly island of Texel, the beautiful flat landscapes, small dreamlike farm villages and picturesque harbor villages. During the second part of the tour, you will cross the large lake IJsselmeer to Stavoren in the Province of Friesland.

Other highlights during your week tour include the open-air museum "Zaanse Schans," the historic city center of Alkmaar and the old harbor cities of Medemblik, Enkhuizen, Hoorn and Volendam, the islands of Texel and Marken and – of course – Amsterdam with its beautiful canals.

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Highlights

• Zaanse Schans- open air museum
• Texel and it's beaches
• Zuiderzeemuseum
• Historic harbor towns and picturesque villages
• Amsterdam with its canals

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Learn more about self-guided trips.

Daily program

Day 1: Arrival in Amsterdam | Cruise Amsterdam – Zaandam
Embarkation between 2:00-4:30pm in Amsterdam. Take the opportunity to go shopping or explore downtown Amsterdam, world famous for its canals, its quirky "leaning" buildings, museums, the Anne Frank House, the Waterlooplein Flea Market, the Dam Square in the historical center and heart of the city. Welcome meeting, cocktail, and first briefing on board at 5:00pm. During dinner, the boat will cruise to Zaandam.
Overnight in Zaandam.

Day 2: Cycle Zaandam – "Zaanse Schans" – Alkmaar (27 miles/44 km)
The first bike trip of this tour takes you via small villages through the beautiful flat and green polder landscape. The first stop is at the Zaanse Schans open-air museum (free entry) with its traditional Old Dutch wooden houses, windmills and the cheese and clog factory. After this visit you will cycle through the “Land of Leeghwater,” a green polder area between Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Hoorn. Stroll through the former whaler’s village De Rijp and pass by the windmills of Schermerhorn. Your ship will be waiting for you near the historical city center of Alkmaar.
Overnight in Alkmaar.

Day 3: Dune tour: Cycle round-trip Alkmaar | Cruise Alkmaar – Den Helder (20 miles/33 km or 25 miles/40 km)
Today you can discover the beautiful North-Holland Dune reserve. This is a 5,300-hectare forest and dune area with its unique landscapes. The drinking water for almost the whole province of North-Holland is gained in these dunes. After a visit to the beach and artists village Bergen you will return to Alkmaar where you can visit the wonderful city center. In the afternoon your ship will sail over the North-Holland Canal to the navy harbor of Den Helder.
Overnight in Den Helder.

Day 4: Ferry to North Sea island of Texel; roundtrip tour from 't Horntje | Cruise Den Helder – Den Oever (your choice of distance: 9-41 miles/15-65 km)
During breakfast, you'll take a 20 minutes ferry ride from Den Helder to the isle of Texel (ticket included in tour cost), where you can take a cycling tour on the largest of the Dutch North Sea Isles. You will cycle through beautiful natural parks and have the opportunity for a stop and some bathing at the beach. Suggestion: cycle the beautiful “Thijsse-route” (with signposting, approximately 25 miles) through picturesque villages and landscapes and visit the seal sanctuary “Ecomare.” In the afternoon you'll cycle back to Den Helder, and during dinner you'll cruise to Den Oever.
Overnight in Den Oever.

Day 5: Cruise Den Oever – Stavoren | Cycle Southwest Friesland round trip (27 miles/43 km or 34 miles/55 km)
The vessel will cross the large inland lake IJsselmeer to cruise to Stavoren in the Province of Friesland. You can opt for a shorter or longer cycling tour: discover the nature area of Gaasterland or explore a part of the wide lake district, that Friesland is well-known for. You can also combine both options. Night in Stavoren, one of the famous 11 cities of Friesland.
Overnight in Stavoren.

Day 6: Cruise Stavoren – Medemblik | Cycle Medemblik – Hoorn – Enkhuizen (19 miles/30 km or 31 miles/50 km)
Your ship will cross the IJsselmeer again during breakfast. Take the short bike trip from Medemblik along the IJsselmeer coast directly to Enkhuizen, where you can spend the afternoon. Enkhuizen is an old city with many centuries of maritime tradition. The “herring city” boasts a beautiful old harbor, a historical old town center, and the very interesting Zuiderzeemuseum. If you prefer a longer cycling tour, ride from Medemblik to the former Dutch East India Company town of Hoorn, in the 17th century one of the world’s leading harbors. Enjoy your lunch break and make a short stroll in the old city center. Continue by bike to Enkhuizen via some picturesque rural villages. In the evening you can join a short city walk.
Overnight in Enkhuizen.

Day 7: Cruise Enkhuizen – Volendam | Cycle Volendam – Waterland – Amsterdam (22 miles/35 km or 31 miles/50 km)
During breakfast, the ship will cruise to Volendam. Your final day of cycling will lead you through the beautiful area of Waterland with its hundreds of small lakes and tiny canals. Near Volendam you will have the opportunity to visit a cheese farm. Recommended (extra miles) is a detour to the former island of Marken, to continue through the water shaped region of Waterland back to the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam.

The afternoon and evening are yours to enjoy everything Amsterdam has to offer. If you didn't go for a canal tour on the first day, you will have the opportunity to do so today.
Overnight in Amsterdam.

Day 8: Amsterdam: Disembarkation
After breakfast, disembarkation by 9:30am and end of the tour.

If guests don’t want to cycle a day (or more) they can relax and stay on board while the ship is cruising. Please note: lunch will not be served on board, so you can enjoy your packed lunch. In case of unfavorable weather conditions, the captain may decide to change the route.

Surface and terrain

The terrain is flat and the cycle paths are mostly concrete or paved roads. If guests don’t want to cycle a day (or more) then can relax and stay on board while the ship is sailing.

Boats

• De Willemstad

How to get there

Tour start and end
Nearest airport: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
Nearest train station: Amsterdam Centraal

It's a short distance from the train station to the pier via taxi.

Tips on getting to and from your tour

Dates

Prices

Included services

• 7 nights accommodation in climate-controlled cabin in the booked category
• Full board (7x breakfast, 6x picnic lunch during bike tours, 7x three-course dinner)
• Use of bed linen and towels (change of towels daily possible); daily light cleaning of the cabin
• Welcome drink and speech on the first evening
• Experienced tour leader (multilingual) with daily briefings of the bike tours, some short city tours, during the day the tour leader is cycling the daily bike tour and can be reached on his/her cell phone while guests are able to cycle on their own if they wish
• Printed instructions and detailed maps for the daily bike tours (1 set per cabin); GPS tracks
• Ferry to Texel
• Use of Wifi on board
• Daily complimentary coffee and tea till 4:00pm

Special dietary requests may be accommodated; you must include your request at the time of booking. For gluten-free or dairy-free diets, a €50 supplement will be collected on board at arrival.

Bike rentals

Bikes available to be rented (in advance at the time of booking) include:

• City touring bikes, 7-speed
• Electrically assisted bikes, limited number, upon request*
• Children's equipment and tandems, in limited quantities (please inquire for pricing)

*More about electrically-assisted bikes >

All above bike rentals will be equipped with the following at no additional charge:

• Pannier bag

You can bring your own bicycles (for a small fee and depending on deck space, please contact us for more details). However, the crew or tour operator are in no way responsible for any damage, loss or theft of such bicycles.

Pedals:
The bikes will have flat pedals.

Helmets:
In the Netherlands, bikers are not obligated by law to wear a bike helmet. Please bring your own – good fitting – helmet. Bike helmets are only available onboard with an advanced reservation. Please book your helmet via our booking form (€10 fee).

Bike Protection:
Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that HERE.

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